Levelling up
by BahamutPrime
Summary: Another short, and a take on the whole levelling up process. DollxHunter.


"Dear Hunter..." The doll spoke, the tone reverberating as it always did.

"I bring more blood from the hunt, and wish to grow in power, Doll." The hunter replied, the hooded cloak they wore a new piece of attire they must have picked up. The doll noticed this, but did not comment on it, at all.

"Pass me your hand. Get comfortable." She kept her everlasting expression, as though the porcelain could not move at all. What were those faint traces of a smile that the hunter had sighted, on previous occasions? Such a thing could not be comprehended, indeed, for now.

As the hunter got down to their knees, the doll seemed to harness a magic which could not be harnessed by any other. With each stroke of their hand, their power grew, and the blood into vials along their belt began to fade away. While this meant that killing was the only way forward, it was kind that the doll could convert this life force into strength, for the hunter.

Once done, the doll helped the hunter up, her face much the same, though she seemed to place a hand on the hunter's shoulder, the blood of beasts upon them. "You fight very hard, no?"

"Indeed, I have no choice." This hunter was a female, and while they were shorter than the doll, their voice seemed so very powerful. The doll loved hearing them speak, hearing of their woes and their triumphs. It had been a long night, indeed, prey on the rampage once more. While help wasn't truly needed, it was certainly appreciated.

"I love the fact that you fight so valiantly, why, it is almost as though I feel a human emotion from it. But alas, I am but a doll, made by humans." While her voice did not sound sad, her body and posture seemed to speak for her, in giving the hunter what she meant. The doll was so very lonely, always waiting for the hunter to return, worried that they would not show up one day. This almost caused her heart, in which there wasn't one, to break. The hunter nodded, before they placed their gloved hand upon the doll's, closing their eyes under that grim looking hood.

"Aye, but you are -my- doll. I may not have made you, but even then, you were given to me. You are my property now, and I will do what I can to make sure you continue existing," These words caused the doll to seem a little strange, her demeanour changing somewhat even if her face did not. The hunter seemed to smile - which admittedly wasn't very visible - but at least they made it known by throwing off their hood. "Without you, I would hardly be strong, and would hardly be able to tackle the beasts as I do. I've you to thank for that, Doll."

The doll seemed to nod, although she wished to do so much more. Seeing the smile upon the hunter's blood-speckled face, it caused a tinge of jealousy to emerge within her rather troubling being. To be able to smile like that, to show the hunter this truer, more free gratitude, it was but a dream inside this hunter's dream. "You praise me too much, dear Hunter. It is you who does all of the work. I merely stand here, waiting, for your return." The hunter looked to the side, before facing the doll once more, moving her hand off their shoulder, and placing both of their hands on the doll's shoulders.

"Do you ever wonder, just -why- I return here? If I were a truer hunter, would I not go out into the endless night, and endlessly hunt which cannot truly be exterminated?" The hunter asked, their bright eyes making the shiny blood on their face seem lacklustre. "It is because of you, Doll. Else, why would I come here? Sure, I can sharpen my blades and clean my guns, but that is not why I come here, truly." After saying this, the hunter pulls the doll into a hug, much to her surprise. The embrace is short, overly so, and the doll seems taken aback by this seemingly mere gesture of affection.

"Dear Hunter, are you implying that..?" The doll stopped herself from being so foolish as to suggest what she knew could not be possible. A doll like her, a rather automatic being, could not possible feel something, let alone love. The hunter sighed, before seating themselves nearby. The doll followed, sitting there with her segmented hands in her lap.

"I imply nothing. What I feel, this, this is real. Even if this is a dream, I'd rather..." The hunter pauses. "I'd rather spend these moments with you, than go about the endless hunting outside of here. There is peace and quiet here, and not the kind which makes me want to jump out of my skin every five minutes. I may be a hunter, perhaps an exceptionally good one, but it does not matter when I know I can come here, and be at peace with myself. Adrenaline and other exciting chemicals truly wreck havoc on me, and I'd hate to come back here, as a beast, and hurt you in any way." The hunter finished, as they placed their hand on one of the doll's, pulling it away from her lap and placing it on the stone between them. The doll looked to the hunter, perhaps a warm feeling, if anything, manifesting within her chest. Could this be..?

"Dear Hunter, you could never hurt me. I do not feel anything, nothing at all. I would merely be dismantled, and would need repairing. Nothing you can do can hurt me." The doll's voice held the slightest pieces of emotions, which for anyone else might have simply gone over their heads. But, this hunter, they... They paid attention, and well.

"I know, I know. This doesn't excuse the fact that it is a possibility. Knowing that I could dismantle you... It would hurt me too. Even if I am robbed of rational thought, it would hurt me too." The hunter's voice had lulled into a whisper, as they looked ahead, their hand firmly upon the doll's. Their fingers began to cross somewhat, the hard nature of the doll's fingers noticeable, but not threatening in any way. This hunter did not care for what the doll was, only, who she was. This doll, though not living, showed the most loyalty and love that no one else could have shown them. "Doll, I've been meaning to say this for a while now, but... I love you, too." Those words couldn't have been easy to say, especially given all circumstances, but alas the doll's hand held onto the hunter's.

"My dear Hunter... You are the only one who could ever make me... Feel, at all. How I am feeling, I do not know, but it is... Warm. A flame which needs nurturing, but a flame nonetheless. Oh, dear Hunter... I love you." With this, the doll's face seemed to come to life, ever so slightly, and the crack in her porcelain mask enlarged, but it did mean she could actually smile, for once. Tears made of a liquid unknown streamed down her smooth cheeks in droves, as the hunter pulled the doll close, their human lips upon the doll's forehead.

"I won't ever let you get dismantled, never. My doll..." The hunter smiled, rather brightly, as they lowered their face down to be able to meet the doll's porcelain lips, a light peck which was only felt by one party, truly. Regardless, the gesture itself was appreciated, wholeheartedly, for one who did not have a heart at all.


End file.
